Modern networks are responsible for interconnecting computing devices operable to exchange data. Data may be exchanged from circuit to circuit on a common circuit board or from circuit board to circuit board along a common backplane, for example, in a computer or server. In some implementations, data may be exchanged over long distances, for example, from a travel agent's computer to an airline server on a cloud network. Modern networks may employ a number of mediums including physical wires, radio frequency (RF) channels or fiber optics. Data exchanged between computing devices may include data packets including multiple bits.
When high-speed digital data is exchanged using differential pairs, the link between a transmitter and a receiver may form a transmission line. High-speed transmission lines may be characterized for their characteristic impedance. Reflections within the transmission line may be minimized when signals traveling a length of transmission line experience a substantially continuous characteristic impedance. Termination resistors may be employed at the ends of various transmission lines to provide impedance continuity. Minimizing reflections may increase signal integrity of data traveling on a transmission line, which may advantageously decrease bit error rate, and may permit increases in transmission distance and/or transmission speed.